The annual Bible lectureship at Freed-Hardeman University is one of the highlights of the year for Donna and me. We were pleased to learn that we were going to be able to attend in person once again this year. It was helpful that, during the height of the concerns over Covid, it was available online, but that’s just not the same as being there in person. As is always the case, when we returned home, we had a lot of pleasant memories. There were interesting, informative, and challenging lessons. There was the opportunity to be with both of our children and all of our grandchildren (at least for a few…

I think that we’ve all had the experience of trying to find something appropriate to say to somebody who is going through a really tough time. I’m sharing something that I hope will help all of us. I don’t know very much about an organization called Stephen Ministries. From what I’ve read on their website, they attempt to provide resources to be used by preachers, counselors and others who want to help people who are grieving the loss of a loved one, experiencing setbacks of their own, and/or dealing with similar situations. I am hoping that what is reproduced below might be of benefit to all of us as we…

There are times in life when something crystallizes in your mind. Sometimes it might be an insignificant detail but at other times, it hits you like a ton of bricks. Often, these realizations are not a brand new thought but an increased awareness or consciousness of something you’ve known all along.  I had one of those moments this past weekend at Challenge Youth Conference. It was a blessing to be able to help chaperone our youth group at this great event. Part of that blessing is getting to hear the lessons prepared to help build the faith of our young people, but they build the faith of older people, too!…

Invitation songs are sometimes sung a bit mindlessly. After all, most congregations only know about a dozen well-enough to sing well, so those few songs get sung over and over again. As a result, our minds are often barely engaged, even though we know they should be. However, in those songs there are some profound thoughts. One of the most profound–though it is written in very simple language-is found in the hymn “What Shall It Be?” Throughout that song, various forms of the question, “What will your answer be?” are asked. But if our minds are not engaged as we sing, we may miss the fact that the question is…

I don’t know if any of you are as blessed as we are in our congregation to have so many “jewels” sitting among us at worship gatherings and other activities. I have an idea that you are. Those “jewels” are still full of life and knowledge. They represent generations of life, and many have lived through difficulties that can’t even be imagined by young people today. They have life skills that have been learned by living life and learning the hard way those skills needed to provide for their families. Some of those “jewels” have a knowledge of the Bible that far exceeds their Bible class learning as a child.…

More than once in the New Testament, the Christian life is compared to a race. Countless sermons have been preached using that illustration, reminding people of faith to run their race and to make certain that they cross the finish line. However, one thing that must also be emphasized is that we have to run the proper race. A runner recently learned that the hard way. For a few moments not long ago, it seemed that Usain Bolt’s world record in the 200-meter dash had not only been broken, but shattered. The record has stood since 2009, when Bolt ran that distance in a jaw-dropping 19.19 seconds. Recently, though, a…